Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Happy New Year, dear friends! The SftW team would like to wish all our family members and friends and ministry partners and well-wishers a Blessed and Happy New Year in Christ’s sweet name as we begin our life-journey in 2026. The Lord our God has been good to us throughout the year 2025 and He sustained us very well despite all the tests and trials and troubles that challenged us time to time. Though there were some ups and downs in life during the past year, with the help of God we could run the course of our life faithfully and successfully. We were able to help one another and together extend our help to others who were in need socially/communally, emotionally, spiritually, and in whatever way our help was in need. During this year-ending season of gratitude and thankfulness, let us reflect on the blessings the Lord our God showered upon our lives throughout the past year. First of all, let us be grateful and thankful (i) to our Father in heaven whose compassion and loving-kindness continue to sustain in life; (ii) to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ whose redeeming grace continues to uphold us as honorable before our God and others; and (iii) to the Holy Spirit whose never-ceasing companionship and comfort that supports us to move forward victoriously; and, then, let us be thankful and appreciative to everyone else, including (i) our family members, (ii) friends, (iii) ministry partners, (iv) well-wishers, and so on, for bearing and sharing our burdens by being with us in our ups and downs in life. In this New Year season and hereafter, let us try to abide in the New Command Jesus gave to His followers, which says, as Apostle John stated: A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34). Jesus gave this new command to His followers to love one another as He has loved them because love does not originate from anywhere else but from God, as John stated in detail:

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us (1 John 4:7-12).

As faithful followers of Christ, in this new year, let us try to grasp the width and length and height and depth of Jesus’ love for us and try to the best of our ability to share it with one another, as He stated again and again: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you … You are my friends if you do what I command (John 15:12-14; also refer to John 13:34; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 21). In short, in today’s context, the Scripture [which is God’s /Jesus’ Word] reminds us repeatedly to love one another as Jesus has loved us because the love that Jesus showed us, first of all, [as Apostle Paul mentioned in his First Epistle to the Corinthian church] is patient and kind that it does not envy or boast; it is neither proud in itself nor does it dishonor others; it is not self-seeking or easily angered; it neither keeps record of wrongs nor delights in evil, but it rejoices with the truth; and it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres (refer to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8). This is the kind of love Jesus showed us and now, we, His faithful followers, ought to share with everyone else the same kind of love we experienced from Jesus, which means …

• • We ought to love everyone else the way Jesus loved us
  • We ought to be patient with one another
  • We ought to be kind to each other
  • We ought not to be envy with anyone else
  • We ought not to be boasting about ourselves
  • We should not be proud
  • We should not dishonor ourselves and others
  • We should not be a self-seeking people
  • We should not be angered so easily
  • We should not keep record of any wrongs
  • We should not be delighted in evil
  • We should rejoice with the truth
  • We should allow the love that Jesus showed us to protect ourselves and others
  • We should allow the love that Jesus showed us to trust, hope, and persevere in our spiritual journey.

In this New Year (2026) and in the years to come, let us try our best to experience ourselves the true love Jesus offers to us and share the same with everyone else out there through our word and deeds.

The Lord has blessed us with a passionate and powerful Scripture passage for our SftW meditation this week, which is taken from the book of Job 27:2-6 (mentioned above). We are very much unsure about who wrote the book of Job. Since the author’s name is not mentioned in the book (internal evidence) and there are no external available resources to prove the authorship of the book, the authorship of the book of Job remains unknown. However, as the book is mainly focuses on the person named Job and describing the various life-situations he went through in his life, many Bible historians and scholars think that Job himself wrote the book in order to give a report about his own life-story and the various life-situations that came across his life, which includes (i) his relationship with the Lord his God, (ii) his relationship with his immediate family that includes his wife and children, (iii) his relationship with other family members, (iv) his relationship with his friends, (v) his relationship with everyone else near and far, and so on. Regardless of the above mentioned factors, some still believe that the book of Job might have been written by Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram (Job 32:2, 6a), a person younger in years than Job and his three friends, namely Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite [who were pictured as the miserable comforters / Job 16:2b] (Job 2:11; 32:4, 6) who spoke to Job in particular and to his three friends about their limited knowledge and understanding about God and His plans/purposes in this world, who also spoke about God’s righteousness and justice and in contrast to a person’s self-justifying and defensive-righteousness (chapters 32-37). In his talk, Elihu questioned Job and rebuked him [and his three friends] while defending his [Elihu’s] righteous stand before God and others, talked about God as the Sovereign Lord God, and defended God’s righteousness and justice as a medium to discipline His chosen ones in order to purify and protect one’s body, soul, spirit in a similar way a loving father disciplines his dear children. Despite all the above-mentioned arguments and suggestions, still some others think that the book of Job is written by someone else, like Moses or king Solomon or someone similar, or it could be a group of people who were familiar with the ancient people and tradition. For us, it doesn’t matter who wrote the book, what it really matters is that it is the Word of God that edifies and nourishes our inner-self and strengthens our spiritual life.

Let us dive in to the Scripture passage we chose for our meditation this week [that is, Job 27:2-6], which helps us to examine the life-experiences of a person named Job who lived in the ancient land called Uz (Job 1:1a). As we read through this passage, we can understand that he was a person of standing and good testimony, as it is mentioned: he was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:1b). God Himself testified about him saying, There is no one on earth like him [Job]; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil (Job 1:8; also refer 2:3). The Scripture tells us that he was the greatest man among all the people of the East who was blessed with a godly family that included seven sons and three daughters; and with large numbers of livestocks and servants (Job 1:2-3). In short, (i) Job was a righteous person and (ii) had great amount of wealth, and (iii) he was an upright man and never sinned against the Lord his God, and (iv) never charged God with wrongdoing. Job even used to sacrifice a burnt offering for each of his children each time they got together for fellowship and partying in each of his son’s home thinking that they might have sinned or done something wrong which displeases God, as it is mentioned: … Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom (Job 1:4-5).

Although Job was a blameless, upright person who feared God and shunned evil, his trust in God was tested by Satan but only with God’s permission (Job 1:9-12; 2:4-6). Remember, Satan has no authority or power to test or tempt a person who is chosen by God or a person who trusts in God wholeheartedly unless God permits him to do so. In Job’s case, with Satan’s underlying demand, God allowed Satan to test Job because Satan brought the accusation/s that Job trusts God because God blessed him immensely. Satan’s claims against both God and Job were that if God did not bless the work of his hands, bless his flocks and herds and put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has, Job would not have been blameless and upright the way he was and would not have feared God and shunned evil. This means, Satan’s accusation is that Job would not have been the person who he is [that is, a person who is righteous and blameless, fearing God and shunning evil] and would not have trusted God the way he trusts Him if God did not bless him the way He blessed him [immense blessing] and put a hedge around him and all that he has. God allowed Satan to test Job for two main reasons: Firstly, God wanted to prove Satan wrong as he brings such false accusations against God and Job, and, secondly, God wanted to prove that Job is righteous and blameless and fears God and shuns evil not because of all that he has but because of who he is and, also, wanted to prove that Job is who he is as the result of his own freewill and choices, which means, Job is blameless and upright and fears God and shuns evil not because of any outside pressure but a desire which comes from within him as a natural tendency and as a result of his freedom of choice.

During the test of his trust in God and the integrity of his heart, everything Job had and valued in the world had been taken from him – Job not only lost his sons and daughters, his livestocks, his servants, his wealth, and so on (Job 1:13-19); but also, he lost his health as Satan afflicted him with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head (Job 2:7-8, 12-13). All that happen to Job and all that he went through in life was not hidden from God, Satan was able to test Job just because God allowed him to do so. Job himself narrated about his life-situation – the pain and suffering and loss, he went through:

… my pain is not relieved … it does not go away. Surely, God, you have worn me out; you have devastated my entire household. You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness; my gauntness rises up and testifies against me. God assails me and tears me in his anger and gnashes his teeth at me … God has turned me over to the ungodly and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked. All was well with me, but he shattered me; he seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has made me his target; his archers surround me. Without pity, he pierces my kidneys and spills my gall on the ground. Again and again he bursts upon me; he rushes at me like a warrior (Job 16:7-14).

In a nutshell, Job lost everything in this world, except his very life and his discourteous wife who said: Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die (Job 2:9 [refer v10 also). Although he rebuked his wife when she said to curse the Lord his God, saying: He replied to his wife, You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? (Job 2:10); and his three friends [who, in fact, came to comfort him but their words were more likely blaming him], saying: you are miserable comforters, all of you! Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you keep on arguing (Job 16:2b-3); he tried neither to criticize God nor charge Him with any wrongdoing. Despite all such disastrous misfortune which hit his life [not because of his fault but because of Satan’s claim], Job (i) neither gave up his hope in God (ii) nor lost his trust in the Lord his God (iii) nor did he blame anybody for wronging him, rather he consoled himself saying: At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (Job 1:20-21).

Before the test, he was a person who had everything in this world (family, health, wealth, and so on); and during the test he lost everything he thought he had or owned in this world (he lost family except his wife, health, wealth, and so on) but after the test he was blessed with a double portion of all the wealth previously he had in the world and, additionally he was blessed with the same number of children, good health, long-life, wide-spread prestige and plenty of provisions in life, and so on (Job 42:10-17). The most outstanding factor about Job is that even though he went through various stages of life-situations (pleasant [fair] as well as painful situations [unfair]) during his life-time, his relationship with God never changed. Rather, it remained the same before, during, and after the tests. The Scripture very clearly states that [even in the midst of such severe suffering and loss] Job neither sinned against the Lord his God nor charged Him with any wrongdoing, as it is mentioned: In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing (Job 1:22; 2:10b). Job’s testimony of faith and hope reveal that his redeemer and savior God lives and in the end he will see Him in person, as it is mentioned: I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another (Job 19:25-27).

Let us read, analyze, study, and meditate the Scripture passage we chose for our SftW meditation this week (Job 27:2-6) once again for a better understanding of Job’s handling of the situations in his life and God’s dealings with Satan, Job, his family, his three friends, and rest of everything noted in the book. The passage indicates nothing but Job’s decisiveness and resoluteness in his decision making ability where he declares his personal commitment before God and others, which is as follows …

1. 1. 1. as surely as God lives – who has denied him justice (27:2a),
      2. as surely as the Almighty exists – who has made his life bitter (27:2b),
      3. as long as he has life within him (27:3a), and
      4. as long as the breath of God is in his nostrils (27:3b), he will do the following …
         • his lips will not say anything wicked (27:4a)
         • his tongue will not utter lies (27:4b)
         • he will not admit the wrong as right (27:5a)
         • he will not deny his integrity (27:5b)
         • he will maintain his innocence (27:6a)
         • he will never let go his innocence (27:6b)
         • he will not let his conscience reproach him as long as he lives(27:6c)

Even in the midst of such a helpless and hopeless situation, Job had the assurance that he neither sinned against the Lord his God nor did his trust and hope in the Lord become weak or diminish due to the suffering he had been going through.  Instead, he trusted the Lord his God all the more and waited patiently before him for justice. Job trusted the Lord always [that is, before and during and after the trouble came upon his life] and hoped that the Lord will deliver him from all the troublesome situations he had been going through and he clung unto the Lord more than ever before and openly testified about his hope and assurance in the Lord his God, saying: Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face (Job 13:15; also refer to Psalm 23:4; Isaiah 12:2; Daniel 3:17-18; Habakkuk 3:17-18; Romans 8:35-39; 2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

Although, Job did not sin against the Lord his God either through his thoughts or words or deeds or behaviors (Job 1:22; 2:10b), when he heard God speaking to him and realized that his eyes has seen Him (Job 38:1-41:34), he repented of all his shortcomings knowing the fact that there is no one righteous before God, as king David pointed out: The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one (Psalm 14:2-3; 53:2-3; also refer to Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:10-12). Apostle Paul also mentioned the same factor that there is no one righteous before God, as he was writing to the believers in Rome: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one (Romans 3:10-12). Eliphaz, one of Job’s three friends, also mentioned in his conversation with Job that the mortals who are born of woman are not pure before God, as he clearly expressed: What are mortals, that they could be pure, or those born of woman, that they could be righteous? If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt, who drink up evil like water (Job 15:14-16). In short, though Job did not sin against the Lord his God knowingly, when Job realized that he heard the Lord his God who is holy speaking to him and become aware of the fact that his eyes has seen Him (Job 38:1-41:34), he repented of all his shortcomings knowing the fact that there is no one righteous before God on earth [that is, among the living] (Romans 3:10) and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags before Him (Isaiah 64:6), he surrendered his life before the Lord his God and repented realizing that he is neither righteous nor perfect before God and he pleaded for His mercy, saying: I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted … My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:2, 5-6).

Job trusted the Lord his God at all times and came out of all the tests and troublesome situations he faced in his life [due to his trust in the Lord his God] victoriously as gold purified in the fire, as he himself stated: He [means, the Lord his God] knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold (Job 23:10; also refer to 1 Peter 1:6-7). We can understand that eventually Satan was proved wrong and Job was proved right that Job’s trust in the Lord his God was not based on all that he had or owned but he trusted the Lord his God for Who He is [for being Himself righteous] and what He does in the universe [for acting justly by being a Righteous Judge]. There is no comparison for God in any realm [like in heaven above or on earth below] (1 Kings 8:23; 2 Chronicles 6:14) and no one [living or dead] can question God’s righteousness and justice (1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 7:22; Psalm 86:8; Isaiah 46:5). Job trusted the Lord his God in his plenty and Job trusted God while he was empty and nothing left to depend on in this world. As a result, the Lord his God blessed Job more than what he had previously, as it is mentioned: The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part (Job 42:12). If we put in Apostle Paul’s words, God blessed Job more than he could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). The Scripture states that After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so Job died, an old man and full of years (Job 42:16-17).

Dear friends in the Lord, as we come to the conclusion of our this week’s meditation, let us evaluate our own life so far [including our life during the just passed-by year 2025] in the light of our meditation that is mainly focused on Job’s life and the life-situations [both, good and bad] he went through in life. We ourselves know the fact that [even if no one else knows about it] untold number of times we ourselves might have got irritated and troubled with even for a small problematic issue we faced in life or little trouble that hit our life or a tiny test we could not overcome, and, who knows, we might have found thousands and thousands of reasons to blame every person who come across our life, including ourselves, our dear and near ones, others still, and even God who blessed us millions upon millions times during our life-time. In such situations, think about the life-situations Job [and the untold number of others who faithfully followed God] faced in his life-time. In fact, Job [and many others who followed God faithfully] might have gone through more severe life-situations in their life-time than most of us who are alive today. Yet, he [Job] neither blamed anyone else nor blamed God for any wrongdoing, rather he trusted the Lord his God all the more. Perhaps, Job learned and experienced in his life that God is good and what He does is good, as it is stated in the Psalms: [Lord] You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees (Psalm 119:68; also refer to 145:9). From the life of Job we can learn that he loved and served the Lord his God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27) and he did what was right in the sight of God and the Lord his God honored him for it. As we just started our life in this New Year 2026, let us consecrate our life to fulfill God’s purpose and plans in the world in and through our lives and dedicate our life to love and serve Him faithfully and, thus, bring glory and honor to God’s holy name among our family and friends! May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!